Holy Criminy, think of the children, make it a safe queen and carry your 9x18

55%

[ 6 ]

Total votes : 11

What to load with so many options?

Author

Message

Macx

Post subject: What to load with so many options?

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 12:22 am

Longtime Regular

Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2005 12:37 pmPosts: 1757Location: Whittier

New carry gun coming soon.

I can load it with anything from .454 Casull to low recoil .45 LC, world full of options & that was what drew me to this gun. For street carry, does anybody have input on a load that will do the unpleasant task that might befall a reluctant participant, without screaming “vigilante fop” to a DA after the fact?

I hope to be (money has been passed to dealer, waiting for delivery) the owner of a Ruger Alaskan in .454 soon. Intend to Crimson Trace the grip. Bought for cold weather carry & motorcycle jacket/shoulder carry, where my IWB 9X18 becomes hard to conceal &/or draw.

When I looked at it, in terms of factory load . .. . the .454/ .45LC seems to represent the biggest span of velocity & energy available.

I found the upper end of factory .44 mag to be about 1675fps & 1122 ft. lbs and the low end of .44 Spl to get down to 750 fps & 300 ft. lbs. I had to go down to the slowwest .38 to match 650fps & barring that would have to go down to 9x18Mak to get less energy. For me, the .454 represented the biggest span of possible loads, from low recoil .45LC to super hot .454 . . . all of which is great untill time to choose a carry round.

And that is the question I bring to all ya'll great gunning minds I respect and like so much.

_________________Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a
lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become
a law unto himself; it invites anarchy .” Olmstead v. U.S., 277 U.S. 438

Speaking as someone who has had hernia surgery, what will you be carrying this gun in?

ironbear

Post subject: Re: What to load with so many options?

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 10:25 am

Longtime Regular

Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 1:08 pmPosts: 546Location: Roseville

Macx wrote:

New carry gun coming soon.

I can load it with anything from .454 Casull to low recoil .45 LC, world full of options & that was what drew me to this gun.

As the owner of .454, I have to say that full-house .454 loads can be quite brutal, and are probably overkill for anything that isn't big game. 10-15 rounds in my Freedom Arms will get my wrists aching.

_________________You can't save the Earth unless you're willing to make other people sacrifice. ~Dogbert~

Seismic Sam

Post subject: 45 LC +P (if there is such a thing)

Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 7:12 pm

Senior Member

Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 8:48 pmPosts: 479Location: Afton

Assuming you can rapid fire shoot this gun with fairly strong loads, there are a couple of questions you have to ask:

What's the muzzle blast going to be indoors if I have to shoot it? Full bore 454 loads could cause permanent hearing damage to you and anybody else in the room. When I shot my S&W 500 up at Bill's it was at the upper limits of my Dillion electronic muffs to keep the sound to bearable levels.

How far is the bullet going to go after it goes through the BG?? The DA will still hold you responsible for it regardless.

Worse yet, what if you miss and the bullet doesn't hit the BG?? A 454 load can go through God knows how many sheetrock walls before stopping. Will that be next door or the house after that??

Max I would carry in the city would be Glaser Blue 45 LC's. If you're all by yourself in Montana, by all means carry the 300 grain XTP's. Full bore 454 loads are just too damn strong, noisy, and over-penetrating for CCW.

"If you expect the police to always be able to protect you, why are the ones who show up at crimes called 'detectives' instead of 'defenders'? Detectives try to find a criminal after they've committed a crime."

someone1980

Post subject:

Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 5:52 pm

Longtime Regular

Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2006 11:19 pmPosts: 2305

You know supressed .22s are comfortable to shoot, even indoors.

I wish I could buy one in this state... and as long as I am wishing I don't want to pay a $200 tax to the ATF so they can stomp on my fun.

Macx

Post subject:

Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 11:46 am

Longtime Regular

Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2005 12:37 pmPosts: 1757Location: Whittier

It has arrived. I'll be picking it up at BPR & expect to shoot cowboy .45LC through it today for a bit. I am one handed for a while yet. Trying to avoid wrecking the hand surgeon's hard work, but I just have to shoot it today

_________________Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a
lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become
a law unto himself; it invites anarchy .” Olmstead v. U.S., 277 U.S. 438

As someone who did a light show in 1970 for the Velvet Underground in a 3rd floor ballroom over Richter's Drug store on the West Bank of Minneapolis, I can tell you that is not true. Your ears may ring for a few hours, but you recover. Contrast that to Pete Townsend, the lead player for the Who who played at volume level 11 for 20 years, and DOES have permanent hearing damage, and you can see the difference. While I was shooting my S&W 500 at Bill's North with a pair of electronic Dillon muffs, I had two guys to the right of me with lesser ear protection, and their world was getting rocked every time I pulled the trigger. They thought it was fun, but if they had no hearing protection their hearing might be permanently compromised. The decibel scale is like the Richter scale, so 110 dB is not 10% louder than 100 dB, it's 10 TIMES louder. There is a HELL of a lot of difference between a 45 LC and a full power 454 load as far as hearing damage is concerned. You actually have to experience the overpressure from a 1900+ FPS 500 S&W load (or 454 load) before you can comprehend how much worse these big magnum rounds really are. It's just too much gun for most indoor or semi-enclosed situations.

Macx

Post subject:

Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 8:01 pm

Longtime Regular

Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2005 12:37 pmPosts: 1757Location: Whittier

With my crippled left hand I shot some Cowboy 250gr when I picked the gun up. With barely any support from my left (gun hand over splint) I felt really good about getting used to the new gun. One famous face here commented to my sweetheart that I was handling the gun well . .. . which was a great unheard compliment .. .. until she told him I was only shooting "cowboys" and not .454's after the fact I was a bit but, I have a plan now.

I'll work my way up the power ladder til I find what is genuinely uncomfortable, and then carry one step below. love the gun, laser grips and holsters to follow.

_________________Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a
lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become
a law unto himself; it invites anarchy .” Olmstead v. U.S., 277 U.S. 438

Seismic Sam

Post subject: Good plan!!

Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 9:11 pm

Senior Member

Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 8:48 pmPosts: 479Location: Afton

Macx wrote:

With my crippled left hand I shot some Cowboy 250gr when I picked the gun up. With barely any support from my left (gun hand over splint) I felt really good about getting used to the new gun. One famous face here commented to my sweetheart that I was handling the gun well . .. . which was a great unheard compliment .. .. until she told him I was only shooting "cowboys" and not .454's after the fact I was a bit but, I have a plan now.

I'll work my way up the power ladder til I find what is genuinely uncomfortable, and then carry one step below. love the gun, laser grips and holsters to follow.

Buy the lasergrips sooner rather than later!! Best thing since sliced bread!! And if you get some Scotchlite and put it on the target, you can shoot with Lasergrips in broad daylight at ANY range that you could (possibly) hit the target at with iron sights, but with more accuracy.

plblark

Post subject:

Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 9:32 pm

Longtime Regular

Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2006 10:41 amPosts: 4468

someone1980 wrote:

You know supressed .22s are comfortable to shoot, even indoors.

I wish I could buy one in this state... and as long as I am wishing I don't want to pay a $200 tax to the ATF so they can stomp on my fun.

Wax Bullets my friend. Wax bullets. Ask White Horseradish or do some forum searching. I shot a couple at his place and it was a lot of fun.

Seismic Sam

Post subject: Why use wax when you can have reusable plastic??

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 9:27 pm

Senior Member

Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 8:48 pmPosts: 479Location: Afton

You can buy plastic bullets that are fired with a primer only, and they will take a lot of beating and reloading. You can shoot in your basement with these all you want.

cobb

Post subject: Re: Why use wax when you can have reusable plastic??

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 9:32 pm

1911 tainted

Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 2:47 pmPosts: 3045

Seismic Sam wrote:

You can buy plastic bullets that are fired with a primer only, and they will take a lot of beating and reloading. You can shoot in your basement with these all you want.

Had a bunch of those for a .38/.357 that I got on a package deal when I bought out a guys reloading stuff, red plastic cases but I don't remember the color of the bullets. Man I wish I would have not sold them at a gun show, be nice to have to plink around the house with, target practice from the Lazy Boy.